1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a game machine with automatic judging function for playing a game which involves by moving pieces across areas provided on a game board.
2. Description of the Related Art
Chess is an example of a game which is played by alternately moving a plurality of pieces across a game board.
Chess basically employs several types of pieces, as well as a checkerboard across which these pieces are moved.
Chess is a game for two players who take turns to move pieces on the checkerboard.
A checkerboard is a check pattern board with 8 files.times.8 ranks, i.e., sixty-four black and white squares, each of which is located next to squares of different color.
Each of the pieces used in chess is either of dark or light color. Each of the players begin a game with 16 pieces disposed on their own starting squares. These 16 pieces are classified into 6 types and consist of one King, one Queen, two Rooks, two Bishops, two Knights, and eight Pawns.
The game progresses by one of the players moving one piece from a pre-occupied square to another or by a player advancing his piece to the square occupied by an opponent's piece and at the same time removing the opponent's piece located at that square.
Each type of piece can be moved in a particular way which is ruled by the character of piece concerned, such as King or Queen. For example, a King can move in any direction by one square and can remove the opponent's piece if located in that square. A rook can move up and down and to the right and left over any desired number of squares and remove the opponent's piece if located on the route of its movement.
The game is won by the player who attacks the opponent's King and corners it in a position from which escape is impossible, which is called "checkmate". The game is finished when one of the players checkmates the opponent's King.
Chess is an internationally popular games.
Games which are similar to chess include Japanese "shogi" game.
Shogi resembles chess very closely with a few differences in the rules, such as the number of pieces and the movement of the pieces.
However, in both of these games, the checkerboard is only used to locate the pieces.
Further, the pieces employed in chess or shogi have their own shape or symbols which represent the category to which they belong, so that each player can recognize the piece character, e.g., movement, of every piece on the board.